2019 Lent

2019 Lent

This Lent, St. Patrick Parish invites you to walk with intention, focus, and vision during these 40 days of preparation. To help with this, we are offering many opportunities to discern together Jesus’ call to follow Him. All are welcome, so bring a friend!

CLICK HERE to read a message of HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS for Lent 2019

A Parish Mission is a time to “be still” for a few evenings and take time to examine one's soul. We are such infinite and complex creatures and we can all too easily get caught up in the important and immediate demands of daily living. But the Church knows us better than we know ourselves often and has set aside 40 days for us to prepare to receive the greatest moment in human history, the resurrection of Christ and the human race's victory over death and decay.

Fr. David Meconi, S.J.

Sunday Evening: Made in the Image & Likeness of GodSt. Augustine realized more than most that "our hearts are restless until they rest in God." No creature can fulfill us and we have one another to get each other to heaven. This evening's talk is an invitation to reflect on how we see and treat one another, as well as all the many gifts we enjoy in our lives. We are created with great purpose and infinite worth to love and to be loved. Fr. Meconi will spend the first night stressing God's love, that first and fundamental truth that most of us can parrot back but rarely believe: God is in love with each of us thoroughly and absolutely, and the only thing holding us back from that embrace is our own unwillingness to be received, to matter to another rightly. We shall, therefore, conclude this evening with an examination of the 7 deadly sins.Monday Evening: Coming to Christ Through Surrender, Not SubmissionThe second evening will hopefully be an experience of Christ's own life: to see what happened at the Annunciation between Gabriel and Our Lady and how that matters still for us today. We will more deeply discover how the Incarnation of Jesus is still occurring, every time each of us lifts a prayer to "Our Father," every time you and I continue Christ's life in the world through our own actions. Why God becomes human is the focus of this evening and how that reality can be prolonged in each of us.Tuesday Evening: Be The Body of ChristIn our final evening, we will fittingly turn to the Holy Spirit and how it is He who consecrates the Body of Christ, which we are, His living temples on earth. So many of us Catholics are sacramentalized, meaning we have gone through the course of catechesis and all the sacraments, but how many of us really understand these sacraments and identify the gifts the Holy Spirit gives to us. By learning how to foster a constant, deep and abiding presence of God's Spirit within us we can discover true peace and perfect joy and thus more perfectly love those around us with the ultimate goal of bringing our Lord's love, mercy and care to all we encounter.

*Child care available by reservation; Contact Cyndi at 636-332-9225 x 234 or cyndi@stpatsch.org

Stations of the CrossFridays, March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12: 7:00 PM in the ChurchGood Friday, April 19: 12:00 PM

Family Activity for Lent: Rice BowlTake a box provided in the gathering area of the church and give your loose change to Catholic Relief Services to help others around the world. This change also assists with local hunger and poverty. Inside are activities to complete as a family this Lent. Turn in your Rice Bowl the week of Holy Week.

40 Cans for Lent Food DrivePlease donate one can of food for each day of Lent as a reminder of the penance we should be doing as we prepare for the Lord’s passion. We are accepting your generous donation of canned meat, soup, vegetables, and fruit, as well as other non-perishable food items such as cereal, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, rice, & beans. Your donations will benefit the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry. Thank you so much for your generosity!

Please join us for Easter decorating of our parish sidewalks! Starting at 9:45 AM on Holy Saturday morning, we will decorate all the sidewalks leading into Church. It is a wonderful way for our parishioners to be greeted Easter morning with the drawings from our children! So bring your chalk, your creativity, and join us!

Days of FastingAsh Wednesday (March 6, 2019) and Good Friday (April 19, 2019)On these two days, fast, as well as abstinence, is obligatory for those between the ages of 18-59. Abstinence means refraining from meat. Fast means one full meal a day, with two smaller meals and nothing between meals (liquids are permitted).

Days of AbstinenceAsh Wednesday (March 6, 2019), Good Friday (April 19, 2019), and all Fridays in Lent (March 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5, 12). Abstinence from meat for all Catholics 14 years of age and older. If there is a serious health problem, this obligation would not apply.